Dark Matters_ Cloak and Dagger (Book 1) - Christie Golden [80]
matter scattered throughout the quadrant. It is destroying other worlds even as I speak to you.
"The Shepherd Halm has given us the technology to contain and render harmless this lethal matter, and has asked me to take Voyager to various infected systems and offer our assistance. On behalf of this crew, I accepted the challenge. It will delay our journey home, but thanks to Telek R'Mor's wormhole technology we will get where we need to go quickly and efficiently. And if we can work out the glitches, who knows but that, when this is all over, we might even be able to go home at last."
She took a breath before continuing. "Millions of lives are depending on us. I know that every one of you is up to this challenge and would not choose to shrink from it"
She smiled softly, her eyes unfocused, imagining the future. "It's going to be a hell of a ride."
EPILOGUE
THE SENATE WAS IN CHAOS.
So much, Jekri had known to expect Several of their number had not made it back; in fact, only one, pale-faced and shaking with what she graciously decided to consider outrage, had rejoined his fellows. He now sat at a place of honor, a flask of blue ale at his side from which he quaffed perhaps more often than was seemly. But then, given the circumstances, she supposed she couldn't blame him.
The surviving warbird had sent ahead the record, of course. They viewed it hi silence, hearing the slight beeping noise that had alerted all the ships that Voyager was trying to make contact For the briefest of instants, Jekri wondered what the hated Captain Janeway had been about in trying to hail them. A trick? For what purpose? Clearly the Federation ves-
sel had been far superior to the warbirds. As Verrak had pointed out, no trickery had been needed to blow them out of the skies.
Jekri swallowed hard as she watched ship after ship being destroyed. Worst of all was when one ship would explode and take its nearest comrade with it.
"The damn wormholes," Lhiau breathed, standing beside her. "Something in there is destroying the ships."
The Little Dagger was reckoned unusually strong of will even by the standards of her own people, a race for whom will was considered a primary virtue. She clamped down hard on the thought that led to Lhiau and not to Telek R'Mor, and forced her mind to agree with the Shepherd's statement: Something must have gone wrong inside the wormhole. Something Telek R'Mor didn't count on, or wasn't aware of. Surely that was it.
It was the Empress's raw grief that moved Jekri more than the shouts and accusations of the Senate, the Praetor, and the Proconsul. The Empress had been crying. Her eyes were bloodshot, pale green tendrils twining around the dark irises. Her color was high as well, and when she spoke, her voice was thick.
"What went wrong?' she demanded.
"The Tal Shiar, our top scientists, and the military are conducting a joint investigation into the incident," replied Jekri with as much calm as she could muster. "We shall report to you the minute we know anything."
"No," the Empress said, her voice icy. "No, you
shall report to me hourly, Little Dagger, or I shall know why. We have lost all but one of our cloaked vessels. They seemed to be more vulnerable than they should have been, given what we know of Voyager."
Still acutely aware of the towering presence of Lhiau at her side, Jekri replied, "Perhaps we did not know everything about the Federation vessel. Careful scrutiny of the records will teach us more. We will be better prepared for it next time, I promise you, Your Excellency."
The Empress was still not placated. "The alleged superiority of the Federation vessel aside, I demand to know why our ships exploded so easily. It seemed as though they passed destruction from warbird to warbird, like some kind of evil contamination."
Lhiau interrupted before Jekri could even draw breath to speak. "It is